Andrew Miller

On a day in which Cook's 110 proved to be almost exactly 50% of a fragile team total of 221 for 9, the value of a player who puts substance ahead of all other attributes feels immeasurable

Plays of the Day from the third day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval

Graeme Swann was sober, in every sense of the word, as he faced up to the media at The Oval on Thursday night

Plays of the Day from the second day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval

A scrap is what England have secretly been yearning for all series, and a scrap is what they are in right now, after a wasteful first-day performance at The Oval allowed Pakistan to claim the upper hand

Plays of the Day from the first day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval

All the talk this week has been of whitewashes, specifically the one that Ricky Ponting and his colleagues intend to inflict on England this winter

It is a year to the week since Jonathan Trott made his Test debut in the Ashes decider at The Oval, and after a year of highs and lows that would have tested the mettle of any cricketer, he is back at the scene of his finest hour

James Kirtley, the former England fast bowler and Sussex veteran, has announced that he will retire from first-class cricket at the end of the summer

England's bowling coach, David Saker, has criticised his charges for a "complacent" performance on the third afternoon of the second Test at Edgbaston

Not since 1887 has a side made as little as 72 in their first innings and still gone on to win a Test, so it was no real surprise that history was averted at Edgbaston today

Pakistan located the cornered-tiger spirit that has long been their tactic of last resort, and conjured up a batting display that started out with dedication and erupted into delight

Stuart Broad has been charged by ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle with throwing the ball "inappropriately" at Pakistan's wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, as England were frustrated in their push for victory on the third day of the second Test at Edgbasto

Plays of the Day from the third day of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston

Kevin Pietersen outscored the entire Pakistan team in his first-innings knock of 80 today, but it'll take a few layers of dust on the scorebook before that stat manages to outshine its mitigating circumstances

Plays of the Day from the second day of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston

Pakistan's problems were compounded on the second afternoon at Edgbaston as Umar Gul was sent for an MRI scan on a hamstring injury, and was ruled out of contention for the rest of the match

Anyone who witnessed that execrable contest at the SSC last week will agree that Test cricket is at its best when bowlers are backed by conditions that act as bait, and batsmen are forced to battle like salmon on the end of a hook

Plays of the Day from the first day of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston

England's 354-run victory in the first Test at Trent Bridge disguised the poor form of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook, who contributed just 51 runs between them in four innings